Fold-out pencil cup

ABSTRACT

An instrument storage device comprises a first housing member, a second housing member, and at least one compartment. The second housing member is pivotally connected to the first housing member and adapted to be displaced between a closed position in close proximity to the first housing member and an open position spaced from the first housing member. The compartment is disposed between the first and second housing members and includes a flexible material such that the compartment is disposed in a collapsed state when the second housing member is in the closed position, and an expanded state when the second housing member is in the open position. The compartment comprises a continuous sidewall that defines a cavity for receiving and storing one or more instruments when in the expanded state.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to a pencil cup, and moreparticularly, to a pencil cup adapted to be reconfigured for storageand/or transport.

BACKGROUND

Most commercially available pencil cups comprise rigid cup or box-shapedstructures adapted to receive pens, pencils, paper-clips, or generallyany other office or home supply, for example. Some pencil cups are ofsolid construction, while others are formed of a metal or plastic meshproviding the user the ability to view the contents of the cup. Whilesuch conventional pencil cups are available in a variety of shapes andsizes, their rigid structures can be rather cumbersome to store and/ortransport because they do not fit easily into smaller storagecompartments such as the accessory pockets of a school bag or briefcase,for example.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes an instrument storagedevice such as a fold-out pencil cup. The device includes a firsthousing member, a second housing member, and at least one containercompartment. The second housing member is pivotally connected to thefirst housing member and adapted to be displaced between an openposition and a closed position. In the closed position, the secondhousing member is disposed in close proximity to the first housingmember. In the open position, the second housing member is spaced fromthe first housing member. The at least one container compartment isdisposed between the first and second housing members and constructed ofa flexible material. The container compartment includes a continuoussidewall that defines a cavity for receiving and storing one or moreinstruments such as pens and pencils, for example. The flexible materialof the container compartment enables the compartment to occupy acollapsed state when the second housing member is in the closedposition, and an expanded state when the second housing member is in theopen position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a fold-out pencil cupconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present disclosureand disposed in an open configuration;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fold-out pencil cup of FIG. 1disposed in a closed configuration;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the fold-out pencil cup of FIGS. 1 and 2disposed in an open configuration; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the fold-out pencil cup ofFIGS. 1-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure provides an instrument storage device that iseasily configurable between an open configuration for receiving andstoring writing instruments, for example, and a closed configurationthat is compact and simple to store and transport. One embodiment of thestorage device is capable of storing instruments in either a generallyvertical orientation, similar to a standard pencil cup, or,alternatively, in a horizontal orientation. Some users may find thishorizontal storage orientation ergonomically friendly. Thus, a storagedevice constructed in accordance with the present disclosure is compact,versatile, and highly mobile.

FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of an instrument storage device 10(hereinafter referred to as a “storage device”) constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present disclosure. In general,the storage device 10 comprises a foldable housing 12 and a plurality ofcontainer compartments 14 a-14 e. Each of the compartments 14 a-14 e isadapted to receive and store instruments 16 a-16 c, which are depictedas writing instruments in FIG. 1. It should be appreciated, however,that the compartments 14 a-14 e can store generally any type ofinstrument, knick-knack, article, or any other conceivable deskaccessory or item of appropriate size. The housing 12 comprises a firsthousing member 12 a and a second housing member 12 b. The first andsecond housing members 12 a, 12 b are pivotally connected to each otherwith a pivot pin 18. For the sake of description, the first and secondhousing members 12 a, 12 b are adapted to be displaced relative to eachother between an open position, which is illustrated in FIG. 1, and aclosed position, which is illustrated in FIG. 2. When the housingmembers 12 a, 12 b are in the open position (FIG. 1), the compartments14 a-14 e occupy an expanded state, as illustrated in FIG. 1. When inthe expanded state, the compartments 14 a-14 e are suited to receiveinstruments. With the housing members 12 a, 12 b are disposed in theclosed position, the compartments 14 a-14 e occupy a collapsed state, asillustrated in FIG. 2. When in the collapsed state, the compartments 14a-14 e are not suited to receive instruments.

Still referring to FIG. 1 and also referring to FIG. 4, the first andsecond housing members 12 a, 12 b comprise rigid bodies of generallyuniform thickness. In one embodiment, the first and second housingmembers 12 a, 12 b can be constructed a plastic material.

The first housing member 12 a includes an inner surface 20 a, an outersurface 22 a, an end lip 24 a, a tongue 26 (shown in FIG. 4), andopposing side edges 27. The tongue 26 includes a tubular member having alongitudinal dimension that is smaller than a width dimension of thefirst housing member 12 a, as depicted in FIG. 4, for example. Thesecond housing member 12 b includes an inner surface 20 b, an outersurface 22 b, an end lip 24 b, a yoke 28 (shown in FIG. 4), and opposingside edges 29. The yoke 28 includes a pair of tubular legs 28 a, 28 b(shown in FIG. 4) disposed on opposite sides of the second housingmember 12 b, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The yoke 28 of the second housingmember 12 b accommodates the tongue 26 of the first housing member 12 abetween the legs 28 a, 28 b. The pivot pin 18 extends through thetubular legs 28 a, 28 b of the yoke 28 of the second housing member 12 band the tongue 26 of the first housing member 12 a, thereby pivotallyconnecting the first and second housing members 12 a, 12 b together.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the first and second housingmembers 12 a, 12 b are curved such that the inner surfaces 20 a, 20 bcomprise concave surfaces, and the outer surfaces 22 a, 22 b compriseconvex surfaces. So configured, when the housing 12 is in the closedposition, the end lips 24 a, 24 b of the first and second housingmembers 12 a, 12 b are disposed in contact with each other, with thefirst and second housing members 12 a, 12 b forming a shape generallyresembling a clamshell, as illustrated in FIG. 2, such that the housing12 defines a storage cavity 30 for storing the collapsed compartments 14a-14 e. Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the curved housing members12 a, 12 b assist in supporting the storage device 10 on a horizontalsurface. That is, the curved housing members 12 a, 12 b provide a morestable geometry when stood on the side edges 27, 29.

As depicted in FIGS. 1-3, the plurality of container compartments 14a-14 e of the presently disclosed embodiment of the storage device 10comprises first through fifth compartments 14 a-14 e that are spacedcircumferentially between the first and second housing members 12 a, 12b when the housing 12 is in the open position. Each compartment 14 a-14e includes a sidewall 32, a support web 34, and a pair of flanges 36(shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). For the sake of clarity, only one flange 36 isexpressly identified in FIG. 3. In one embodiment, the flanges 36 can befixed into bores 37 formed in the tongue 26 of the first housing member12 a. The flanges 36 can be secured into the bores 37 with an adhesive,or some other means. In another embodiment, the storage device 10 canfurther comprise a flexible sleeve (not shown) integrally formed withand/or connected to the flanges 36 of the compartments 14 a-14 e,whereby the flexible sleeve can be snap-fit or glued onto the tongue 26of the first housing member 12 a, for example, thereby not requiring thebores 37. In still further embodiments, the flanges 36 can be fixed tothe legs 28 a, 28 b of the yoke 28 of the second housing member 12 b viabores or some other means, instead of being fixed to the tongue 26 ofthe first housing member 12 a. Therefore, it should be appreciated thatother means for fixing the compartments 14 a-14 e to the housing 12 areintended to be within the scope of the present application.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, each sidewall 32 of the disclosedembodiment of the compartments 14 a-14 e is continuous and formed of afilm-like structure to have a generally elliptical shape. For the sakeof description, each sidewall 32 includes top and bottom edges 32 a, 32b, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and first and second curved sidewallportions 33 a, 33 b, as illustrated in FIG. 3. So configured, eachcompartment 14 a-14 e includes a top opening 35 a defined by the topedge 32 a, a bottom opening 35 b defined by the bottom edge 32 b, and acontainment cavity 40 disposed between the top and bottom openings 35 a,35 b. Due to the elliptical shape of the sidewalls 32 of the presentlydisclosed embodiment, the top and bottom openings 35 a, 35 b aregenerally elliptical. Therefore, the containment cavities 40 aregenerally cylindrical with elliptical cross-sections. When thecompartments 14 a-14 e occupy the expanded state illustrated in FIGS. 1and 3, the containment cavities 40 have a fixed volume, which is definedherein as a “second volume.” In contrast, when the compartments 14 a-14e occupy the collapsed state illustrated in FIG. 2, the containmentcavities 40 have a fixed volume, which is defined herein as a “firstvolume.” The second volume is greater than the first volume.

Still referring to FIG. 3, each support web 34 of each compartment 14a-14 e extends across, i.e., spans, the respective containment cavity 40and is attached to the sidewall 32. In one embodiment, the support webs34 are formed integrally, i.e., as one-piece, with the sidewalls 32through an injection molding process, for example. Each support web 34includes a plurality of support members 38 spanning various portions ofthe cavities 40 and constructed of a film-like material. The supportmembers 38 intersect at various locations to define a plurality ofapertures 42, only one of which is expressly identified with referenceto the fourth compartment 14 d in FIG. 4. The plurality of apertures 42have varying dimensions, e.g., varying shapes and/or sizes, such thatthey are adapted to receive writing instruments or other articles ofvarying dimensions, e.g., varying shapes and/or sizes.

To facilitate orderly, aesthetic organization of various articles in theinstrument storage device 10, the volumes of at least some of theapertures 42 of the compartments 14 a-14 e may vary generallyproportionally with increased distance from an axis, e.g., the pivotpin, about which the first and second housing members 12 a, 12 b pivotrelative to each other such that smaller diameter items, such as pens,pencils, or crayons, etc., may be stored closer to the pivot pin 18,while wider/thicker articles, such as hi-lighters, magic markers, etc.,may be stored further away from the pivot pin 18. Moreover, asillustrated in FIG. 1, the support webs 34 can have a height dimensionthat is smaller than a height dimension of the sidewalls 32 of thecompartments 14 a-14 e. For example, in FIG. 1, the support webs 34 areattached to the respective sidewalls 32 such that they extend from thebottom edges 32 b of the sidewalls 32 to a location approximatelyhalfway between the top and bottom edges 32 a, 32 b. So configured, thecompartments 14 a-14 e are also advantageously designed to receive andstore articles that are too large to be stored in the apertures 42including, for example, stress balls, binder clips, erasers, etc. Suchlarger articles can rest directly on top of the support webs 34 aboveone or more apertures 42 and can be retained in the respectivecompartments 14 a-14 e by the sidewalls 32.

For the sake of description, the plurality of support members 38 can besubdivided into a plurality of major support members 44 a-44 d and aplurality of minor support members 46 a-46 d. For the sake of clarity,the major and minor support members 44 a-44 d, 46 a-46 d are onlyidentified with reference to the second compartment 14 b in FIG. 3. Inthe disclosed embodiment, the plurality of major support members 44 a-44d includes first through fourth major support members 44 a-44 d, and theplurality of minor support members 46 a-46 d includes first throughfourth minor support members 46 a-46 d. The major support members 44a-44 d extend generally beside a major axis A1 (shown in FIG. 3) of theelliptically-shaped compartments 14 a-14 e. The minor support members 46a-46 d extend generally beside a minor axis A2 (shown in FIG. 3) of theelliptically-shaped compartments 14 a-14 c.

In the disclosed embodiment, the major and minor support members 44 a-44d, 46 a-46 d are shaped and configured to facilitate the transformationof the compartments 14 a-14 e between the expanded state depicted inFIGS. 1 and 3, and the collapsed state illustrated in FIG. 2. Forexample, as depicted in FIG. 3, when the compartments 14 a-14 e occupythe expanded state, the major support members 44 a-44 d curve away fromthe major axis A1 of the compartments 14 a-14 e. Moreover, in thedisclosed embodiment, the first and fourth major support members 44 a,44 d are mirror images of each other, and the second and third majorsupport members 44 b, 44 c are mirror images of each other. As is alsodepicted in FIG. 3, the minor support members 46 a-46 d are also curved,but in a different manner. That is, the minor support members 46 a-46 dare each curved in generally the same direction and have an apex 47 a-47d located on the major axis A1 of the compartments 14 a-14 e. Thisconfiguration, as mentioned above, facilitates transformation of thecompartments 14 a-14 e between the expanded and collapsed states.

Specifically, to transform the storage device 10 from the openconfiguration depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3 to the closed configurationdepicted in FIG. 2, a user pivots one of the first and second housingmembers 12 a, 12 b relative to the other such that the inner surfaces 20a, 20 b move toward each other. For the sake of description, it can beassumed that the user pivots the second housing member 12 b relative tothe first housing member 12 a. With reference to FIG. 3, as the secondhousing member 12 b begins to pivot, its inner surface 20 b engages thesecond curved sidewall portion 33 b of the fifth compartment 14 e.Continued pivoting of the second housing member 12 b causes the fifthcompartment 14 e to collapse in a direction along its minor axis A2 suchthat the first and second curved sidewall portions 33 a, 33 b of thesidewall 32 move toward each other, thereby reducing the volume of thecontainment cavity 40. As the curved sidewall portions 33 a, 33 b movetoward each other, they move toward a flattened state, which isillustrated in FIG. 2, for example. Additionally, as the curved sidewallportions 33 a, 33 b move toward each other, the major support members 44a-44 d of the support web 34 move toward each other. As the majorsupport members 44 a-44 d move toward each other, the minor supportmembers 46 a-46 d fold approximately in half at their apexes 47 a-47 dsuch as to facilitate the total collapse of the fifth compartment 14 e.Next, continued pivoting of the second housing member 12 b causes thefifth compartment 14 e to engage the second curved sidewall portion 33 bof the sidewall 32 of the fourth compartment 14 d. Further pivoting ofthe second housing member 12 b causes the fourth compartment 14 d tocollapse in a manner identical to that described with reference to thefifth compartment 14 e. The remaining third, second, and firstcompartments 14 c, 14 b, 14 a also collapse with further pivoting of thesecond housing member 12 b, until the end lip 24 of the second housingmember 12 b contacts the end lip 24 of the first housing member 12 a andall of the compartments 14 a-14 e occupy the collapsed state and aredisposed within the storage cavity 30 of the housing 12, as depicted inFIG. 2.

While the transformation of the storage device 10 from the openconfiguration to the closed configuration, and the compartments 14 a-14e from the expanded state to the collapsed state, has just beendescribed as including the compartments 14 a-14 e collapsing in reversesequential order, for example, it should be appreciated that thisdescription was merely for the sake of explanation. In actual practice,it should be understood that pivoting one of the first and secondhousing members 12 a, 12 b relative to the other could cause all of thecompartments 14 a-14 e to collapse generally simultaneously, or in anyother sequential or non-sequential order.

To further facilitate the transformation of the compartments 14 a-14 ebetween the expanded and collapsed states, one embodiment of the storagedevice 10 includes the compartments 14 a-14 e constructed of a flexiblematerial. Specifically, in one embodiment the compartments 14 a-14 e maybe constructed of a rubber material such as a silicon material, or asilicon rubber material. Moreover, in one embodiment, the compartments14 a-14 e may be constructed of a flexible material that is alsoresilient such that the compartments 14 a-14 e would naturally return tothe expanded states illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 when the first andsecond housing members 12 a, 12 b are moved from the closed position tothe open position.

Furthermore, while the storage device 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1 asbeing horizontally oriented on a horizontal surface such that gravityretains the instruments 16 a-16 c within the containment cavities 40,the storage device 10 can also be vertically oriented as illustrated inFIG. 3. Specifically, as illustrated, because the first and secondhousing members 12 a, 12 b are curved, as described above, portions ofthe outer surfaces 22 a, 22 b of the first and second housing members 12a, 12 b that are located adjacent the end lips 24 a, 24 b can engage ahorizontal surface and support the storage device 10 in this verticalorientation. So oriented, instruments such as the writing instrumentsillustrated in FIG. 1, for example, can be disposed through theapertures 42 in the compartments 14 a-14 e and supported by the varioussupport members 44 a-44 d, 46 a-46 d of the support web 34. Thus, thisdesign provides a further degree of versatility.

Although not described above, in one embodiment, the pivot pin 18 may besized such that it frictionally retains the first and second housingmembers 12 a, 12 b in a desired position relative to each other. Forexample, the pivot pin 18 may have an outer diameter that frictionallyengages an inner diameter of the tubular legs 28 a, 28 b of the yoke 28of the second housing member 12 b and the tubular tongue 26 of the firsthousing member 12 a. In another embodiment, the storage device 10 mayinclude a torsion spring, for example, operably connecting the pivot pin18 to either or both of the first and second housing members 12 a, 12 b.Such a torsion spring could bias the storage device 10 into one of theopen (FIGS. 1 and 3) or closed configurations (FIG. 2). In the eventsuch a torsion spring is designed to bias the housing 12 into the openposition (FIGS. 1 and 3), the storage device 10 could further beequipped with a clasp, e.g., a latch, for securing the first and secondhousing members 12 a, 12 b together in the closed position (FIG. 2). Inthe event such a torsion spring is designed to bias the housing 12 intothe closed position (FIG. 2), the storage device 10 could further beequipped with a clasp, e.g., a latch, for securing the first and secondhousing members 12 a, 12 b together in the open position (FIGS. 1 and3).

Additionally, while the disclosed embodiment of the present disclosurehas been described as including curved first and second housing members12 a, 12 b, alternative embodiments of the storage device 10 may includeany suitably-shaped housing members 12 a, 12 b, and the housing members12 a, 12 b do not necessarily need to define a storage cavity 30 orresemble a clamshell when in the closed position.

Furthermore, while the storage device 10 has been described herein asincluding first through fifth compartments 14 a-14 e, alternativeembodiments can include generally any number of compartments. Forexample, in one embodiment, the compartments 14 a-14 e can be allintegrally formed together, i.e., as one-piece, thereby effectivelyincluding a single compartment.

Finally, while the compartments 14 a-14 e have been described herein asincluding flanges 36 attached to the tongue 26 of the first housingmember 12 a, in alternative embodiments, the compartments 14 a-14 e maybe otherwise secured between the first and second housing members 12 a,12 b. For example, in one alternative embodiment and with reference toFIG. 3, the compartments 14 a-14 e may be secured to the inner surfaces20 a, 20 b of the first and second housing members 12 a, 12 b.

Specifically, the first curved sidewall portion 33 a of the firstcompartment 14 a may be secured to the inner wall 20 a of the firsthousing member 12 a and the second curved sidewall portion 33 b of thefifth compartment 14 e may be secured to the inner surface 20 b of thesecond housing member 12 b. Additionally, the first and second curvedsidewall portions 33 a, 33 b of the second compartment 14 b may besecured to the respective second and first curved sidewall portions 33a, 33 b of the first and third compartments 14 a, 14 c; the first andsecond curved sidewall portions 33 a, 33 b of the third compartment 14 cmay be secured to the respective second and first curved sidewallportions 33 a, 33 b of the second and fourth compartments 14 b, 14 d;and the first and second curved sidewall portions 33 a, 33 b of thefourth compartment 14 d can be secured to the respective second andfirst curved sidewall portions 33 a, 33 b of the third and fifthcompartments 14 c, 14 e. Thus, it should be appreciated that the presentdisclosure is not limited by the specific means of attaching thecompartments 14 a-14 e to the housing 12 expressly disclosed herein.

In light of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that an instrumentstorage device 10 constructed in accordance with the embodiments of thepresent disclosure advantageously provides a easilycollapsible/expandable device that may be stored, transported, etc.,while requiring only minimal space for doing so. While various detailsof embodiments of the storage device 10 have been described herein, thepresent disclosure is not limited to these details, but rather, isintended to be defined by the spirit and scope of the claims and allequivalents thereof.

1. An instrument storage device, comprising: a first housing member; asecond housing member pivotally connected to the first housing memberand adapted to be displaced between a closed position in close proximityto the first housing member and an open position spaced from the firsthousing member; at least one compartment disposed between the first andsecond housing members, the compartment including a flexible materialand comprising a continuous sidewall that defines a cavity for receivingand storing one or more instruments, the compartment disposed in acollapsed state when the second housing member is in the closedposition, and an expanded state when the second housing member is in theopen position.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cavity of the atleast one compartment comprises a first volume when the at least onecompartment occupies the collapsed state and a second volume when the atleast one compartment occupies the expanded state, the second volumegreater than the first volume.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the atleast one compartment further comprises at least one support memberspanning a portion of the cavity and attached to the sidewall.
 4. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the at least one compartment furthercomprises a support web spanning the cavity and attached to thesidewall, the support web defining a plurality of apertures, eachaperture adapted to receive and store one or more instruments when thecompartment is in the expanded state.
 5. The device of claim 4, whereinthe plurality of apertures have varying dimensions.
 6. The device ofclaim 5, wherein the volume of the plurality of apertures increases withincreased distance from an axis about which the second housing memberpivots relative to the first housing member.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein the at least one compartment comprises a plurality ofcompartments circumferentially spaced between the first and secondhousing members.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible materialof the at least one compartment further comprises a resilient materialsuch that the at least one compartment is biased into the expanded statewhen the second housing member is in the open position.
 9. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one compartment is constructed of at leastone of a rubber material and a silicon material.
 10. An instrumentstorage device, comprising: a first housing member; a second housingmember pivotally connected to the first housing member and adapted fordisplacement between a closed position in close proximity to the firsthousing member and an open position spaced from the first housingmember; at least one compartment, each compartment including a flexiblematerial and comprising at least one continuous sidewall defining acontainment cavity, the at least one compartment fixed between the firstand second housing members of the housing such that the containmentcavity has a first volume when the second housing member is in theclosed position, and a second volume that is greater than the firstvolume when the second housing member is in the open position.
 11. Thedevice of claim 10, wherein the at least one compartment furthercomprises at least one support member spanning a portion of thecontainment cavity and attached to the sidewall.
 12. The device of claim10, wherein the at least one compartment further comprises a support webspanning the containment cavity and attached to the sidewall, thesupport web defining a plurality of apertures, each aperture adapted toreceive and store one or more instruments when the second housing memberis in the open position.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein theplurality of apertures have varying dimensions.
 14. The device of claim13, wherein the volume of the plurality of apertures increases withincreased distance from an axis about which the second housing memberpivots relative to the first housing member.
 15. The device of claim 10,wherein the at least one compartment comprises a plurality ofcompartments circumferentially spaced between the first and secondhousing members.
 16. The device of claim 10, wherein the flexiblematerial of the at least one compartment further comprises a resilientmaterial such that the sidewall is biased to define the containmentcavity as having the second volume when the second housing member is inthe open position.
 17. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least onecompartment is constructed of at least one of a rubber material and asilicon material.
 18. An instrument storage device, comprising: a firsthousing member; a second housing member pivotally connected to the firsthousing member and adapted for displacement between a closed position inclose proximity to the first housing member and an open position spacedfrom the first housing member; a plurality of compartmentscircumferentially spaced between the first and second housing members,each compartment constructed of a flexible material and comprising: acontinuous sidewall defining a containment cavity, and a support webspanning the containment cavity and attached to the continuous sidewall,the support web defining a plurality of apertures, each aperture forreceiving and storing one or more instruments.
 19. The device of claim18, wherein the support web comprises a plurality of intersectingsupport members.
 20. The device of claim 18, wherein the plurality ofapertures have varying dimensions.
 21. The device of claim 18, whereineach compartment is disposed in a collapsed state when the secondhousing member is in the closed position and an expanded state when thesecond housing member is in the open position.
 22. The device of claim18, wherein each containment cavity define a first volume when thecompartments are disposed in the collapsed state, and a second volumethat is greater than the first volume when the compartments are disposedin the expanded state.
 23. The device of claim 18, wherein the flexiblematerial of each compartment further comprises a resilient material suchthat each compartment is biased into the expanded state.
 24. The deviceof claim 18, wherein each compartment is constructed of at least one ofa rubber material and a silicon material.